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Not everyone has the budget to fill their cellar with Puligny-Montrachet and other stars of the Côte d’Or. Luckily, the wines of the Maconnais have never been better, or offered more value. Thirty years ago Pouilly-Fuissé brought to mind an over-oaked, over-priced buttery Chardonnay; today the best examples can fool seasoned tasters into guessing Chassagne, and cost half as much.
Florence Cartier continues to steer her family’s Domaine les Goubert with a deft and steady hand. She’s converted nearly all of her plots to organic and has managed to adapt her winemaking style to the blazing hot provencal summers.
For many years we have known the Domaine Gautheron as a low-profile address offering consistently excellent wines in a style that is truly Chablisien. The quality remains exceptional, but the secret is out. Jasper Morris MW calls Cyril Gautheron “a superb producer making wines in a crisp cool classically Chablis style.”
In real estate and winemaking, location is everything – and nowhere is this more true than in Burgundy. A few yards difference in vine location can amount to a few extra zeros on the end of the price. Every wine from Vosne-Romanée – the most famous winemaking town in the world – is at minimum worthy of interest. But Vosne is not a monolith, and each corner of the tiny appellation has its own expression.
Wine writer Rajat Parr describes St. Aubin as the “insider’s white Burgundy.” Wedged in a valley between Chassagne and Puligny, this town produces white Burgundy with hints of Chassagne and Puligny’s golden richness, but a less stratospheric price tag. St-Aubin has become rarer and pricier like everything else in Burgundy, but it’s still far more affordable than its famous neighbors.
The Hill of Hermitage has been famous for centuries, and with good reason. John Livingston-Learmonth, author of the definitive Wines of the Northern Rhône, calls it “the king of the Northern Rhône,” producing “the most complete and authoritative of all Rhône wines.”
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: another year, another flat out delicious wine from Poggerino – and still a bargain. Italian wine represents a tiny corner of our portfolio, but Piero Lanza’s impeccably balanced wines are some of the most popular in our store. They drink well young, age beautifully, and provide exceptional value.
The 2022 red Burgundies are shaping up to be an extraordinary vintage. Expectations were high from the start: “beautiful and bountiful… very good wines and plenty of them” wrote Jasper Morris. William Kelley called them on release “succulent, suave and charming.” The last year of tasting them in our homes and at the warehouse has confirmed – this is an all around terrific vintage.
Lots of high end red Burgundy is ethereal, subtle, and delicate – but not all of it. Certain towns – Gevrey, Pommard, Nuits-St-Georges come to mind – combine Pinot’s natural grace and elegance with a rich muscly intensity. The result is often dynamic and delicious.
Vincent Boyer continues to steer his family’s Meursault domaine with tact and style. His sister Sylvie joined him a few years ago – her passion is viticulture, and her focus on the vineyards has freed Vincent up to focus on cellar work. Today the frère-et-soeur team is at the top of their game, turning out magnificent wines year and year out.
On a hot summer day our choice of wine is usually white (Chablis/Muscadet) or rosé. But sometimes the moment or meal calls for a red, and we like to be well prepared. Reds served cool have become popular in recent years, but it has to be the right red.
At a time when White Burgundy from the Côte d’Or is both pricier and harder to come by, the Maconnais is a refuge for those seeking top quality wine at a reasonable price. We discovered the Domaine Pierre Vessigaud after reading fulsome praise from William Kelley, and the wines continue to show beautifully, both at the regional level and in Pouilly-Fuissé. Kelley wrote: “Succulent but serious, any bottle bearing Vessigaud’s name is worth seeking out.”
For many years we have known the Domaine Gautheron as a low profile address offering consistently excellent wines in a style that is truly Chablisien. Jasper Morris MW calls Cyril Gautheron “a superb producer making wines in a crisp cool classically Chablis style.” The 2024 vintage provides a ringing affirmation of this praise: steely, dry wines full of tension and elegance, and a beautiful showcase for Cyril’s skills and the subtleties of Chablis terroir.
Winemaker Yann Chave returned home to his family’s Northern Rhône estate 30 years ago, and since then he’s earned an impressive reputation. Jancis Robinson writes of “really artisanal wine with masses of integrity and bags of personality.” The Wine Advocate’s reviewer writes “Chave’s continuing progress makes this one of the most exciting estates in Crozes-Hermitage.
Sancerre remains among the world’s best known white wines. Sauvignon blanc, a naturally high acid grape, is well positioned to weather today’s hot summers without losing pep and energy. Our source here is the Domaine de la Garenne, an old family domaine of the highest quality, certified organic and practicing biodynamic techniques.